Bill Text: CT SB00342 | 2016 | General Assembly | Chaptered
Bill Title: An Act Concerning Electronic Filing Of Campaign Reports.
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Passed) 2016-06-07 - Signed by the Governor [SB00342 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2016-SB00342-Chaptered.html
Substitute Senate Bill No. 342
AN ACT CONCERNING ELECTRONIC FILING OF CAMPAIGN REPORTS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 9-675 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2017):
(a) The State Elections Enforcement Commission shall (1) create a [software] web-based program [or programs] for the preparation and electronic submission of financial disclosure statements required by [section 9-608] chapters 155 to 157, inclusive, and (2) prescribe the standard reporting format and specifications for [other software programs created by vendors] any software program created by a vendor for such purpose. No software program created by a vendor may be used for the electronic submission of such financial disclosure statements [, until] unless the commission determines that the software program provides for the standard reporting format [,] and complies with the specifications [, which are] prescribed under subdivision (2) of this subsection for [vendor software programs] any such software program. The commission shall provide training in the use of the [software program or programs] web-based program created by the commission.
(b) On and after July 1, 2017, the following shall file all financial disclosure statements required by chapters 155 to 157, inclusive, by electronic submission pursuant to subsection (a) of this section: (1) The treasurer of the candidate committee or exploratory committee for each candidate for nomination or election to the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State Comptroller, State Treasurer, [or] Secretary of the State, [who] state senator, state representative or judge of probate that raises or spends [two hundred fifty] one thousand dollars or more, [during an election campaign shall file in electronic form all financial disclosure statements required by section 9-608 by either transmitting disks, tapes or other electronic storage media containing the contents of such statements to the State Elections Enforcement Commission or transmitting the statements on-line to said commission. Each such treasurer shall use either (1) a software program created by the commission under subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of this section, for all such statements, or (2) another software program which provides for the standard reporting format, and complies with the specifications, which are prescribed by the commission under subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, for all such statements. The commission shall accept any statement that uses any such software program] (2) the treasurer of any state central committee, legislative caucus committee or legislative leadership committee, (3) the treasurer of any other political committee or town committee required to be registered with the commission that (A) raises or spends one thousand dollars or more during the current calendar year, or (B) raised or spent one thousand dollars or more in the preceding regular election cycle, and (4) the treasurer of any committee, or any other person, who makes or obligates to make any independent expenditure and who is required to file a financial disclosure statement of any such independent expenditure with the State Elections Enforcement Commission in accordance with the provisions of section 9-601d. Once any such candidate committee or exploratory committee has raised or spent [two hundred fifty] one thousand dollars or more during an election campaign, all previously filed statements required by [said section 9-608] chapters 155 to 157, inclusive, which were not filed [in electronic form] by electronic submission shall be refiled in such [form, using such a software program,] manner not later than the date on which the treasurer of [the] such committee is required to file [the next regular statement under said section 9-608] its next financial disclosure statement.
(c) (1) The treasurer of the candidate committee for any other candidate, as defined in section 9-601, that neither raises nor spends one thousand dollars or more who is required to file the financial disclosure statements required by [section 9-608] chapters 155 to 157, inclusive, with the commission, and (2) the treasurer of any other political committee or [party committee,] town committee that neither raises nor spends one thousand dollars or more who is required to file the financial disclosure statements required by chapters 155 to 157, inclusive, with the State Elections Enforcement Commission may file [in electronic form] any such financial disclosure statements [required by said section 9-608. Such filings may be made by either transmitting disks, tapes or other electronic storage media containing the contents of such statements to the proper authority under section 9-603 or transmitting the statements on-line to such proper authority. Each such treasurer shall use either (A) a software program created by the commission under subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of this section, for all such statements filed in electronic form, or (B) another software program which provides for the standard reporting format, and complies with the specifications, which are prescribed by the commission under subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, for all such statements filed in electronic form. The proper authority under section 9-603 shall accept any statement that uses any such software program. ] by electronic submission pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.
(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, upon the written request of a treasurer or any other person described in subdivisions (1) to (4), inclusive, of subsection (b) of this section, the commission may waive the requirement to file by electronic submission pursuant to subsection (a) of this section if such treasurer or other person demonstrates good cause.
Sec. 2. Subsection (d) of section 9-608 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(d) At the time of filing statements required under this section, the treasurer of each candidate committee shall send to the candidate a duplicate statement and the treasurer of each party committee and each political committee other than an exploratory committee shall send to the chairman of the committee a duplicate statement. Each statement required to be filed with the commission under this section, section 9-601d, section 9-706 or section 9-712 shall be deemed to be filed in a timely manner if: (1) For a statement filed as a hard copy, including, but not limited to, a statement delivered by the United States Postal Service, courier service, parcel service or hand delivery, the statement is received by the commission by five o'clock p. m. on the day the statement is required to be filed, (2) for a statement authorized by the commission to be filed electronically, including, but not limited to, a statement filed via dedicated electronic mail, facsimile machine, a web-based program created by the commission or other electronic means, the statement is transmitted to the commission not later than eleven fifty-nine o'clock p. m. on the day the statement is required to be filed, or (3) for a statement required to be filed pursuant to section 9-601d, section 9-706 or section 9-712, by the deadline specified in each such section. Any other filing required to be filed with a town clerk pursuant to this section shall be deemed to be filed in a timely manner if it is delivered by hand to the office of the town clerk in accordance with the provisions of section 9-603 before four-thirty o'clock p. m. or postmarked by the United States Postal Service before midnight on the required filing day. If the day for any filing falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the statement shall be filed on the next business day thereafter. The State Elections Enforcement Commission shall not levy a penalty upon a treasurer for failure to file a hard copy of a statement in a timely manner in accordance with the provisions of this section [,] if such treasurer has a copy of the statement time stamped by the State Elections Enforcement Commission that shows timely receipt of the statement [,] or the treasurer has a return receipt from the United States Postal Service or a similar receipt from a commercial delivery service confirming timely [receipt] delivery of such statement [by] was made or should have been made to said commission.